


Chimera

by oneshiptorulethemall



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, Eventual Smut, Forced Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Multi, Nude Photos, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Revenge, Revenge Sex, Secret Identity, Secrets, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 13:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11806824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneshiptorulethemall/pseuds/oneshiptorulethemall
Summary: All Mersy wants to do is fit in. For no one to suspect anything about her past, or what she's been through. To ask questions about her service in the war against the Gotorro empire. For Mersey has secrets that could destroy the life that she's built for herself the last two years. She struggles to keep those secrets at bay, new and old. A contract that could end up getting her killed, an enemy hell bent on destroying her, and an individual from her past who leaves her broken beyond repair. At the same time, she pushes against the relationships she starts to build in Stardew. Most of all, the feelings that are a little more than friendship that begin to blossom...





	Chimera

Mersey fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. The bus ride had been long and difficult on her stomach. Outside the bus window they passed a sign that read “Stardew Valley 0.5 Miles.” That had the opposite effect on her nerves. Her stomach cramped up even more. 

I can do this, I can do this. Mersey squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head up against the window. The cool of it was a welcome reprieve from the stifling heat of the bus. She fumbled for the Yoba amulet that hung around her neck. It hummed, like it knew it was finally going home. 

They pulled into a dark tunnel. This was it. Her legs were shaking under her as she stood up. She knew she was doing the right thing, and that she had made a promise. But Yoba, how she wanted to run far away from this place. She slowly made her way to the front of the bus, gripping the seats for support. 

Mersey flinched as the sunlight streamed back in as they left the tunnel. She blinked rapidly to clear away the sunspots dancing across her vision. She stood in a daze as she took in her surroundings. 

It was… beyond beautiful. It was just like she had been told. Trees swayed everywhere, flower and wild crops in full bloom. Mersey could hear the sound of birds outside, something unheard of in Zuzu city. 

“Well, this is your stop, ain’t it?” the bus driver stared at her with an amused expression. 

Her face flushed, she could hear a few of the other passengers snickering. She cleared her throat. 

“Yes, this is it.” The bus driver rose to help her with her bags but she stopped him. “No, no, I got it. Thank you though.” She gave him a smile and stepped off the bus towards her new life. 

 

The bus pulled away, leaving her coughing up the dirt it had flung up. A woman with ginger hair and a kind smile stood waiting. 

“Mersey, is that you? I barely recognize you! You’re so big now!” she walked towards her and extended her arms out for a hug. “

“Yup, it’s me…” Mersey flipped through the mental directory of names that she had memorized, “Robin. It’s so good to see you.” Robin pulled back, letting go of her. 

“Same here, dear. Though I wish it was under better circumstances.” Mersey tensed up immediately, knowing what was coming next. 

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mersey. The town hasn’t been the same the last two years without your grandfather.” 

She nodded, staring solemnly at the ground, “Thank you, Robin. It’s been hard to say the least.” Her voice cracked on that one, and she prayed that Robin would just let it go.  
Robin nodded understandingly. Mersey couldn’t stand the pitying look on her face, so she awkwardly cleared her throat and changed the topic.

“So, let’s see the farm. You lead the way, my memory of this place is pretty hazy.”

Robin smiled, “Follow me, dear.”

 

The two of the walked down a dirt country road towards the farm. Mersey couldn’t stop gaping at everything around them. Never in her life had she seen such beauty. She was barely listening to what Robin was saying as she rambled on. 

“-Shane and Jas moved in a few years back and having been living out with Marnie. Jas is such a sweetheart-” up ahead she could see a faded sign for the farm. In chipped paint she could barely make out the name “Dewdrop Farm.”

“-Shane, on the other hand, is a piece of work. I try to give him a little slack, because of what he’s been through-” Robin whispered that part, still rambling on. Mersey tried to tune into what the women was saying. 

“But still. What a complete and utter jackass, pardon my language.” Robin opened the gate and they stepped onto the farm. 

“Well, here we are.” Mersey’s jaw dropped as she took in the property. It was definitely something. 

“I have to admit, the place is pretty rundown.”

Yeah, no kidding. The property was absolutely ginormous, and every inch of it was covered in debris. Logs, rocks, weeds, you name it. 

Mersey went to run her hands through her nonexistent hair, seeing as though she had cut it a little above her shoulder right before she had left. She still hadn’t gotten used to the color either, a dark chestnut brown. 

She could feel Robin staring at her and she knew she had to say something. She forced a smile onto her face. “Well, nothing that a little bit of work can’t handle.” 

Robin nodded, “That’s the spirit.” She beamed. Over to their right was a small cabin. “Over here is your brand new home!” Mersey followed her as she walked up to the door. 

Suddenly the door swung open and a man with silver hair and a brown hat stepped out. 

“Mersey, it’s so good to see you again.” The man walked down the steps and embraced her in a hug as well. Ugh, was this going to happen with every person she met? Mersey forced her body to relax and hug him back. 

“Hi, Mayor Lewis.” Mersey could feel her heart beating in her chest. She was hoping she would be able to scope out the house before anyone else got in there, and make sure that everything was in order. 

“You know, everyone has been asking about you.”

Smile, Mersey, you can do this. 

“Oh, really?” Mersey smiled and laughed. “I’m not surprised. It’s not every day that someone new shows up.”

Mayor Lewis chuckled. “No, it’s not. And you know how it is with small towns like this. Word gets around.” He said it jokingly, but it felt to Mersey like a punch in the gut. She didn’t let her true reaction show though, she never did. 

“Yeah, well, I promise I’m not really much to see.” The two of them just smiled and stared at her. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably, not really sure what to say. 

“Well, thanks for showing me to my new place. I really appreciate it.” She couldn’t help but wince internally at all the politeness and manners. But when in Rome, as they say. 

“Oh, it’s no problem.” Robin said. The mayor nodded in agreement. “You’re probably tired from your long trip, we’ll let you settle in.” The two villagers took their leave with a smile and a wave. 

Mersey picked up her things, took a deep breath, and walked through the door. 

As soon as the door was closed behind her she dropped everything to the floor. Her demeanor changed instantly, a tactical expression replacing the serene one she’d just been wearing. She went over the window and closed the blinds. 

She had done it. She couldn’t believe it. The Yoba pendent around her neck buzzed happily. She took it off gingerly and placed it down on the table. She looked around the cottage, taking in every single detail. It was just as she’d been told. 

Various photographs were scattered all over the cottage. She recognized Pops almost instantly. She knew that mischievous look in his eyes, had seen it so many times in another. A look that was permanently burned into her memory. Her mind started to wander, to other memories less pleasant. She stopped herself, not letting her mind go there. 

Here was a picture of Pops with a young girl that had to be her. They stared lovingly at each other, fishing together out on a dock. There were many more like that. Mersey had been his only grandchild after all. 

There were a few pictures of Mersey’s mother with her grandfather. In one of them stood a man near unrecognizable. He stood in the background of the picture almost like a ghost. Mersey’s father, how fitting that he was as nonexistent here as he was in real life. 

But the photos that Mersey was fixated on were the more current ones. A few pictures of Mersey at her high school graduation. Various pictures of her at military training. She reached out and grabbed a frame, pulling it in close. It was Mersey’s official military portrait. 

She could feel a prickle at the corner of her eyes. She squeezed them shut, pushing back against the tears and everything that came with them. She set the frame down, flipping it over so she wouldn’t have to look it. 

Mersey knew what she needed to do. She checked the time. It was a few hours until nightfall, she’d have to wait. Suddenly, exhaustion flooded over her. Everything seemed to hit her all at once. 

Mersey did what anyone does in that situation. She stumbled over to her bed, pulled the covers over her head, and let herself sink into an abyss of unconscious bliss. 

 

She had to hold in a scream as she awoke. Blood, so much blood. She could hear her calling her name. The amulet, curled in her frostbitten hands. Pain, so much pain. 

Mersey tried to calm herself down, panting heavily. She was safe, she was in Stardew Valley in her cottage. There was no blood, no war, nothing. She reached for the clock on her nightstand. 8 P.M. She stood up and got to work. 

She couldn’t bring herself to burn all the recent photos. It just felt wrong. She found an old, decrepit toolbox behind the cottage. She sealed all the photos up in sandwich bags, three layers of them, and threw them in the toolbox. 

She’d found Pops’ old tools and dug through them until she found a shovel. Now she just needed somewhere to bury them. She wandered the property, careful not to trip and fall in the darkness. In the corner of the property she stumbled upon a shrine to Pops. 

Mersey got down on her knees in respect. She closed her eyes and sent out a prayer to Pops’ spirit. She asked for his forgiveness, and hoped he wouldn’t mind her burying these things beside his shrine. It seemed like the right thing to do.

After a few moments of silence, she began to dig. She dug as deep as her tired arms would let her. Man, she was out of shape. The last two years she’d been working out daily at a local gym, but still. She finished, heaving slightly, and pushed the toolbox in. She didn’t let herself stop to contemplate her actions, just started to quickly fill the dirt back in. 

 

The night was still young after Mersey finished. She was drenched in sweat and grime. She rubbed at her eyes, not used to wearing contacts. She followed the path leading south off her property and into the woods. 

It was a perfect spring evening. She breathed in the clean air as it brushed through the trees. A lake spread before her, a small dock attached to it. Looking beyond the tree line she could make out a small tower. She made her way towards it, replaying conversations over in her mind. 

The only weapon she had was the dagger concealed at her hip. She snorted, like that would do any good against a wizard. Yet she didn’t stop her ascent as she made her way up the ragged Cliffside. 

She stood at the wooden door, hesitating. The tower was dark, no sign of any light inside. She focused her hearing but heard nothing. Should I knock? For once she was unsure how to proceed. 

Mersey knocked and waited. No response. She knocked again, louder. Still, nothing. Fuck it. She jiggled the doorknob and to her surprise found it open. I guess it wasn’t a complete shock, what kind of dumbass breaks into a Wizards tower? 

She pushed it open and it swung forward with a long creak. It felt cliché really, like something out of a horror flick. She walked in slowly, her training causing her to detect any sign of movement. But there was none. 

The room was sparsely decorated. Sigils and symbols decorated almost every surface. A table sat covered in dust, filled to capacity with books of every kind. Bookshelves dawned the walls as well. Off to the side stood the cauldron, behind it cabinets full of potions and spells. Jackpot.

She searched through the cabinets. Her education on the ancient languages was spotty at best. But from the research she had done before she left Zuzu, she had a decent grasp on what she was looking for. 

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that it’s rude to go through other people’s things?” 

Mersey swirled around, hand instantly on her dagger. A figure stood in the corner, decked out in the usual wizard attire. His purple hair seemed to glow, shadows from the candle in his hand dancing across his face. 

Before she could even do anything she felt her dagger ripped from its holster. It flew into the wizards hand easily. 

“Gotorrian steel, impressive,” he examined the dagger hungrily, “I haven’t seen a weapon like this, especially in these parts, in quite a long time.” 

Mersey scanned the room for anything she could use to her advantage. The only way out of here was the door. They both stood about equidistant from it. If she could just go fast enough. 

“Tell me, why should I not kill you for breaking in here? And don’t even think about making a break for it, I’d kill you before you took a single step.” 

Mersey gulped. She felt out of practice at this, being in life threatening situations. She needed to let herself sink back into that role that she had worked so long the last two years to put behind her. 

“I can be useful to you. I’m more than capable of advanced combat. I’ll do anything you need, any fighting or violence, thievery or treachery.” He didn’t move, instead just raising a single eyebrow. 

“Go on.” This was her only chance, she couldn’t blow it. Not before she’d finished what she’d come here for. 

“The townspeople are suspicious of you, I can get you access to anything you need, anyone you need.” The wizard smirked, letting out a low chuckle. “And who might you be, to get me such connections?” 

“I’m Mersey Sarte, granddaughter of Crispin Kozel.” The confidence in her words almost surprised her. “I’m the Legacy of Dewdrop Farms. My grandfather was a distinguished figure around these parts. My name holds sway.”

She blinked and suddenly he was right in front of her. He bent down and gently grasped her face. He stared into her eyes, examining them. For what, she could only imagine. He let go off her and let her fall clumsily onto her ass. 

“Sure you are, sweetheart. What’s a nice girl like you doing with a blade like this then?” At that Mersey had no good answer. His eyes were predatory as he looked her over. 

“What is it that you want, Mersey?” The wizard looked back at her. She quickly fumbled to her feet. 

“I need a potion…” she weighed the risks of what she revealed in saying what she needed.

“Go on,” he rolled his eyes. “People don’t usually come to me for anything less.” 

“A potion,” she sent a final prayer to Yoba that she was making the right choice, “to permanently change the color of my eyes. My hair as well.” 

“I see. A transfiguration potion. Yes, those contacts won’t fool anyone for long. Same with that god awful dye job.”

Mersey self-consciously touched her hair. She hoped it wasn’t as transparent as he was making it out to be. 

“Can you do it or not?” she was losing patience at this point. 

“Of course I can. But I have to warn you the price is steep.” He twiddled with her dagger nonchalantly. 

“Name your price, wizard.” She crossed her arms and prepared for the worst. 

“Rasmodious, is the name. And you have a few options for payment.” He placed the dagger down on the table behind him. 

“Money, body, or service.” He ticked them off on his fingers; one, two, three.

“Money is self-explanatory. But from the looks of you don’t have much.” 

He was right, of course. Mersey barely had enough to buy seeds to get the farm going. 

“Body, well, I think we could work something out.” He eyed her up and down hungrily. She didn’t flinch from his gaze. 

“No fucking way.” She snarled out between clenched teeth. 

“Why? Out of the business now? Pity.” He clucked his teeth. Oh, she was going to lose it. She bit her tongue, trying to reign in the red that was starting to bleed into her vision. 

“Service then. I help you, you help me. Whenever I call, you come. No matter what the task might be.”

A million questions were firing off in her mind. 

“For how long?” the idea of selling herself like this made he sick, but what other choice did she have? 

“One year.” Fuck. Rasmodious saw her stumble back, like she’d been shot in the chest. 

“Trust me, one year is nothing compared to most sentences.” 

She closed her eyes, trying to think. Everything in her was telling her to run from this place as quickly as possible, to turn down this offer. 

“Do we have an agreement?” he stood waiting. She could tell just by looking at him, that he already knew her answer. A smugness seemed to exude off him, and it made her sick. 

“Yes, we have a deal.” 

As soon as the words left her mouth she could feel the room around them began to shift and change. The room around them advanced to a level of darkness that she hadn’t even known existed. The air became heavier, hard to breathe. 

Electricity sparked across the room, like lightning was striking all around them, over and over. Suddenly he was right in front of her once again. He reached out and grabbed her face. 

Mersey screamed as the pain overcame her. She could feel tears running down her face. She’d felt pain way beyond must humans had ever endured, but this, this was something unheard of. She felt unconsciousness pushing at her once again. She closed her eyes, and willingly let it in.


End file.
